The Irish Daily Star Chase betting tips given by Horsebetting.com experts say Sub Lieutenant is a value bet on land the spoils in the feature Grade 3 staying chase at Punchestown on Wednesday, 17 October. Last year’s winner Road To Respect is feared most and also owned by the powerful Gigginstown House Stud. Fellow Noel Meade trained gelding Snow Falcon, meanwhile, is another to consider following a fine performance last time out. Our 2018 Irish Daily Star Chase betting tips preview has more on these National Hunt horses tackling this 3m 1f test.Sub Lieutenant can continue owners’ fine record in Irish Daily Star ChaseGigginstown House Stud have won six of the last seven renewals of the Grade 3 Irish Daily Star Chase over 3m 1f at Punchestown, and the powerful Emerald Isle owners have three runners in this year’s race on Wednesday (16:10) in a bid to enhance that record. Preference from the trio carrying their famous maroon and white silks is Sub Lieutenant, who was third 12 months but much better off at the weights this time around.
Trained by Henry De Bromhead, the nine-year-old has won three of his 14 starts since joining his current handler from Sandra Hughes and run a string of solid races in defeat. They include when runner-up to subsequent Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Sizing John in the Kinloch Brae Chase at Thurles at this level back in January 2017.
Sub Lieutenant then chased home the mightily impressive Un De Sceaux in the Ryanair Chase at the Festival, and later filled the same position behind Fox Norton in the Melling Chase at Aintree. He made his reappearance in this race last year when losing his place two out, but finding plenty for pressure thereafter and sticking to the task well to be beaten just 5 3/4 lengths by the re-opposing Road To Respect.
As Sub Lieutenant now meets the winner off 8lb better terms, he comes out on top off revised ratings and 3lb well-in on that one. It gives him every chance of reversing the form and, unlike last season, connections have given Sub Lieutenant a couple of summer assignments to keep him fit.
That followed a massive run off level weights at the end of last term when a nine-length fourth to Bellshill in the Punchestown Gold Cup, and just beaten a head by Road To Respect. Sub Lieutenant had earlier run reasonably well when fourth in the Ryanair and a plugging on 14-length fifth to Might Bite when not fancied in the Betway Bowl.
He shaped really well when an 11-length fifth to Clarcam on return to action in the Galway Plate back in August, however, considering he was giving weight away to the first four home, including the re-opposing Snow Falcon. It’s also interesting connections turned him out four days later off the back of that run and he won, slamming Sandymount Duke – yet another who re-opposes – by 7 1/2 lengths.
The form of those Galway races looks very strong indeed as Snow Falcon, who was just a length in front of Sub Lieutenant when fourth in the Plate, has come out and won the Kerry National. Saturnas, who was fifth and beaten 20 lengths in that second Galway Festival outing, then chased Snow Falcon home when a close neck second in Listowel’s Harvest Festival feature.
So, with the ever-improving and in-form jockey Rachael Blackmore in the saddle, and the De Bromhead stable flying, a bold bid looks assured from Sub Lieutenant. He is thus taken as the value punt in our 2018 Irish Daily Star Chase betting tips.Road To Respect respectedThe obvious danger come from the first of the two aforementioned horses trained by Noel Meade. Road To Respect remains the up-and-coming staying chaser of the Gigginstown battalions and youngest in this line-up aged seven, so despite the swing in weight is feared most bidding to defend his title.
Having progressed throughout 2016-17 to land the ultra-competitive Brown Advisory Plate at the Cheltenham Festival while still a novice, Road To Respect then made the step up into Grade 1 company when capitalising on the quirks of Yorkhill and denying him by a neck in the Ryanair Gold Cup at Fairyhouse. Connections decided to step him back up to three-mile chasing last season.
Road To Respect ran out a 1 1/2 lengths winner of this 12 months ago on reappearance when produced late and touching off a valiant effort from Kilcarry Bridge to make all. Although then headed late on in the Down Royal Champion Chase and half-a-length runner-up to the re-opposing Outlander, Road To Respect is now rated 4lb superior to the 10-year-old having been on a mark that was 6lb inferior at the time.
Further improvement came when he landed the Christmas Chase at Leopardstown where he again took the lead on the run-in and kept on well under pressure holding subsequent Ryanair Chase hero Balko Des Flos by 1 1/4 lengths. Road To Respect then went straight to Cheltenham for a crack at the Gold Cup and was from disgraced when a 12 1/2 lengths fourth to Native River.
The runner-up Might Bite landed the King George VI Chase and Betway Bowl, while the third home Anibale Fly later placed in the Grand National at Aintree. There were odd mistakes from Road To Respect when it came to jumping around Prestbury Park, and the occasional error was also in evidence when he just held Sub Lieutenant for third in the Punchestown Gold Cup.
As he continues to improve, Road To Respect must iron those out. His form sets a clear standard on what is considerable ease in grade from a hat-trick of previous Grade 1 assignments but, for reasons outlined above that see him worse off at the weights here, he’s worth taking on.Snow Falcon an alternativeThe other Meade inmate challenging here is Snow Falcon, whose aforementioned Kerry National victory last time out was a career best over fences. This eight-year-old has proved a very handy dual purpose performer who ran some big races in staying Premier Handicaps on the Flat last year.
Snow Falcon landed the Kingdom Gold Cup at Killarney by 2 3/4 lengths, then chased Lord Erskine home going down by a similar margin off an 8lb higher in the Irish Cesarewitch. He was then sent chasing after failing to reproduced that form in the English equivalent and won at the third time of asking over fences.
Although failing to complete in the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse and Mildmay Novices’ Chase at Aintree, Snow Falcon recovered from a mistake to be nearest at the finish and beaten 10 lengths by Clarcam in the Galway Plate on reappearance. He then came out and landed the big one at the Listowel Harvest Festival when just holding Saturnas.
That catapulted Snow Falcon to a career high mark of 156, but he doesn’t have much more to find to be in the mix here. As Jonathan Moore again takes the ride, he looks a credible alternative to the Gigginstown trio in the event that one or other fails to fire and so had to feature among our 2018 Irish Daily Star Chase betting tips.Your Next Bet
